Humans are Sick... >.<

[TorachiKatashi]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-r ... 10637.html

Someone posted this link on a website I frequent. Before I go to any link I always read the first few comments (just to make sure it isn't just something gross), and I couldn't understand, what the hell could get everyone so horrified? But then I read it.

This... I don't have the right words for this, except to ask, what the fuck is wrong with people? What could possibly so messed up in your existence to make you such a miserable person?

No matter what your opinion on transgendered people is, there isn't any excuse for this. Just... Ugh. I'll come back and edit when I'm not fuming.

The only good thing out of it is that apparently, the majority of the people who had been advertising on the station have backed out since this happened. At least some people are sane.

Link tl;dr: Two American radio hosts went on a half hour-long tangent about how transgendered children are "freaks and idiots," and how their parents should be beating them into being "normal."

Edit: Sorry about that. Link should work now.

[Lyinginbedmon]

Your link fu has failed you, but that is dang wretched low of them I agree.

I'm close friends with a lesbian, I've known her since secondary school, and she has had a pretty hard time for being who she is in general. If her parents were "beating her into normalcy" I would remove the aforementioned parents from the equation of her life with a rapidity hitherto unknown to the discovered universe.

[Master Gunner]

^^What Lying said. I've being recommended for psychotherapy before, the only reason why I haven't being forcefully committed is because I'm able to keep my rage and inner feelings under control. Things like this are the big red buttons make me not want to keep myself under control, and I am capable of extreme brutality if I don't watch myself, brutality that I would be glad to inflict on anybody I found beating a transgendered person, or anybody in a similar situation.

[tak197]

Well, there is an update I just read about this, on a link to GLAADblog.org (link). Apparently, the two men were told to respond to these comments on a follow-up show but refused to apologize for them. Also, since the airing, nine different companies (Chipotle, Snapple, Sonic, Bank of America, AT&T, Wells Fargo, Carl's Jr., Nissan, and one other, unnamed company) have sent statements to GLAAD saying that they are pulling advertising for the radio station and the show because of their comments.

I think that everyone is entitled to their opinion, and should be allowed to share it IF it is not going to cause undue harm to others either physically, emotionally, or mentally. So these guys are disgusting to me already. But they took it a step further and said this about CHILDREN. There is honor among theives in the jails, and one thing you can guarantee, and that is an adult harming a child. So even suggesting violence against a child, gay straight or transgendered, puts them at a new low.

I hope they get blacklisted from radio, and never work another job again.

[Hakaryu]

I'm surprised their bosses didn't fire them on the spot for something as vile as that.

[korri]

I'm surprised they didn't get fired on the spot as well. I have heard of radio DJ's being fired for far less. I can't believe that they would say things like that! Its just .. so.. I can't even say anything I'm just shocked that they would say that. About children no less

[JiggMaster]

They weren't fired cause it's private radio, they can say whatever the hell they want, how do you think Bill O The Clown stays on air? Cause they can say anything they want, and it's their right. Part of free speech.

Sure it's flat out wrong but if people got fired for this than I'd be afraid to voice some of my opinions. Sure they're not as ridiculous as this but I'd still be afraid.

[SimpsonsParadox]

It's one thing to bitch about liberals to a brainless group of TV viewers who just want to watch something that confirms their opinion. It's an entirely 'nother beast to suggest that we should be beating *children*.

I, honestly, am at a loss for words. No, that's not right. I'm full of words; none of them are comprehensible. Just....guh. Children. *Children*.

[Metcarfre]

There are limits to free speech - particularly if, as in this case, it is considered hate speech. In Canada, this would be illegal, as it is considered hate speech under the Criminal Code of Canada (check wikipedia).

[wilson_x1999]

They weren't fired cause it's private radio, they can say whatever the hell they want, how do you think Bill O The Clown stays on air? Cause they can say anything they want, and it's their right. Part of free speech.

Sure it's flat out wrong but if people got fired for this than I'd be afraid to voice some of my opinions. Sure they're not as ridiculous as this but I'd still be afraid.

I'm not from the USA so I'm not sure, but isn't promoting hate crimes not protected under free speech?

[SimpsonsParadox]

I'm not from the USA so I'm not sure, but isn't promoting hate crimes not protected under free speech?

Yes, and no. If I'm remembering correctly, if there is a direct link (IE: "Beat up person XXX because he's red) it's illegal and you can be charged with the crime. If you merely state something like "I hate red people and I think they should all be beaten" it's 'non specific' and, since there's no link to any crime and it's generally stated, they can't be charged.

[tak197]

No it isn't, wilson. At least the last time I checked.

Public or private radio makes no difference. Take away the whole "they promoted hate crime" thing. They caused NINE advertisers to drop advertising with them, as in COST THE STATION MONEY. The fact is, what they said was morally wrong to the public AND fiscally damaging to the station, so the public status of the business is not too important to the issue.

I will say though, they wouldn't cancel the show completely, because there was one host who was trying to defend the GLTB community and the family on the air, so she could be given the timeslot and the other two would be out of work, which would control the damage done by these two DJs.

Don Imus didn't get away with "Nappy headed hos", so these two won't get away with this.

[Nevrmore]

Pffft, my dad beat me every day and I turned out just fine!

[tak197]

Pffft, my dad beat me every day and I turned out just fine!

*looks at your location* ... REALLY??

[TorachiKatashi]

Do I think they should be arrested for something they said under free speech? No, of course not. Do I think they should be arrested for a public threat against an entire minority? Absolutely.

There's a spot in there somewhere where one of the men says that if they ever caught their son wearing high-heels, he'd take the shoes off and beat him with them. That should be grounds enough to take any and all children he has the fuck away from him. That isn't even some kind of transgender issue (or even a GAY issue), it's just some crazy caveman mind-fuck theory on "Men are big and strong and any who aren't get killed."

I think that's the part that gets to me the most. It's not even just a gay issue. You can totally be against homosexuals in every way, and still see how completely wrong this is.

There was a radio host a couple years ago, I forget his name, who was fired for making jokes about Autistic children "just needing to be beaten," who later apologized and was STILL fired literally that day or the next. Something makes me think these two aren't being dealt with fast enough.

[tak197]

Believe me, it's not being dealt with fast enough. The FCC is likely going to be talking to the station and doing an investigation, but just to give you a timeline, they just RECENTLY closed the case on Janet Jackson's nip slip.

[CyberTractor]

Some of you don't seem to understand what 'freedom of speech' means.
Freedom of speech IS NOT the ability for you to say whatever is on your mind because you have the right to it.
Freedom of speech IS the inability for the government to regulate what can and cannot be said.
(As far as the first amendment to the US constitution goes, which is what applies in this circumstance.)

There are boards such as the FCC which limit the range of what can and cannot be said on the air.



That said, what they men said was horrible. Endorsing any sort of child abuse should not be tolerated by any person. Ever.

[Jillers]

They weren't fired cause it's private radio, they can say whatever the hell they want, how do you think Bill O The Clown stays on air? Cause they can say anything they want, and it's their right. Part of free speech.

Sure it's flat out wrong but if people got fired for this than I'd be afraid to voice some of my opinions. Sure they're not as ridiculous as this but I'd still be afraid.

Whether the station is public or private, the fact is they were inciting violence, which is not allowed under free speech.

Freedom of speech does not cover all speech ever, there are restrictions to it, which is something a lot of people don't understand.

Defamation, causing panic, fighting words, incitement to crime, sedition, obscenity... these are not protected by the first amendment.

Furthermore, as employees of the radio station, they are less free to express their opinions as they are representatives of that station, and whatever they say can come across as being condoned by their employers.

They can and should be fired, not only for inciting violence (against children nonetheless), which is not speech protected by the First Amendment (nor should it be), not only for being hate speech (also not protected by Freedom of Speech), but also for causing their station lots of sponsors (so, their opinions, which not only promote violence against all children, but also physical and mental abuse against your own children, cost their station a lot of money). There is no good reason for them to be on the air right now, especially since they refused to apologize. That's four strikes.

[empath]

"People should be free to do whatever they like as long as what they do does not infringe on other people's freedom."

I dunno who said that first, but if no one ever did, you can put me down for it.

If I was the manager of KRXQ, these twits would be looking for work. Heck, even if I agreed with their sentiments (which I don't), I'd fire them simply because they're behaving like a CANCER TO MY RADIO STATION.

Heck, I'd even fire them for the petty little reason that they refuse to obey a management directive

If they keep refusing to recant like they have, and the station management keeps from dismissing them, I'd like to see the radio station go into receivership and bankruptcy for loss of ALL their sponsors.



Oh, and Nevrmore? I guess your opinion on the methods of child-rearing used with you say a LOT about what sort of person you are, n'est-ce pas?

I, myself, was mercilessly bullied and ostracized by my peers throughout my childhood, for no other reason than being someone who vocally refused to go along with the crowd and refusing to fit into any cliques; I listened to AC/DC and Iron Maiden when everyone was listening to Duran Duran and Madonna and Debbie Gibson, yet was a decent, rule-abiding student; I didn't participate in sports, or 'brainy' clubs, on the other hand; I was straight (well, still am, now ) yet didn't go ogling the girls; and so on.

As such, my early life was for a fair portion, unpleasant; it did raise me into a person with an acute sympathy for underdogs, and a keen desire for fairness and justice; I'd like to thing all this hassle I underwent helped make me stronger.

...but do I think anyone should EVER go through what I had to, to be 'similarly bettered?'

FUCK, NO.



Getting back to the subject of Freedom of Speech; as others have stated, there are limitations to the same, and the BIGGEST judge that any speech should go through first is the SPEAKER themselves. People should sit and think about the consequences of what they say BEFORE it leaves their lips. And for the consideration of civility, even, many 'self-judges' should (and probably DO) slap down 'gag orders' so that they will not offend.

Being free to express a dissenting opinion free of persecution (be it governmental, or merely from one's peers) is an admirable goal, but that doesn't overlap into taking a discussion about something ILLEGAL (abuse and assault of children) where the discussants are UNANIMOUS in their disapproval of speech that incites same behaviour, and then deciding to express an OBVIOUSLY opposing opinion on the subject of the ILLEGAL ACTIVITY itself.

Methinks your 'self-judge' needs a board of enquiry into its decisions, mate.

[Emperor Gum]

They can and should be fired, not only for inciting violence (against children nonetheless), which is not speech protected by the First Amendment (nor should it be), not only for being hate speech (also not protected by Freedom of Speech), but also for causing their station lots of sponsors (so, their opinions, which not only promote violence against all children, but also physical and mental abuse against your own children, cost their station a lot of money). There is no good reason for them to be on the air right now, especially since they refused to apologize. That's four strikes.

+1. Normally I'd criticise an article for being written with such an obvious bias, but in this case Rowe's opinion is really the only realistic one.

[Alex Steacy]

<inappropriate response>
You know, some people just need to be killed.

Like, no amount of debate or reprimand or sensitivity training is going to budge the deep-seated hate this person has in their mind, so... Fuck it. Just shoot him in the face and roll the remains into a ditch.
</inappropriate response>

[TorachiKatashi]

<inappropriate response>
You know, some people just need to be killed.

Like, no amount of debate or reprimand or sensitivity training is going to budge the deep-seated hate this person has in their mind, so... Fuck it. Just shoot him in the face and roll the remains into a ditch.
</inappropriate response>

Awh, damn. I was gonna ask you about this tonight so I could watch your reaction. Mind if I ask anyways? Live action rage is so much better than internet rage.

[Nevrmore]

Oh, and Nevrmore? I guess your opinion on the methods of child-rearing used with you say a LOT about what sort of person you are, n'est-ce pas?

I, myself, was mercilessly bullied and ostracized by my peers throughout my childhood, for no other reason than being someone who vocally refused to go along with the crowd and refusing to fit into any cliques; I listened to AC/DC and Iron Maiden when everyone was listening to Duran Duran and Madonna and Debbie Gibson, yet was a decent, rule-abiding student; I didn't participate in sports, or 'brainy' clubs, on the other hand; I was straight (well, still am, now ) yet didn't go ogling the girls; and so on.

As such, my early life was for a fair portion, unpleasant; it did raise me into a person with an acute sympathy for underdogs, and a keen desire for fairness and justice; I'd like to thing all this hassle I underwent helped make me stronger.

...but do I think anyone should EVER go through what I had to, to be 'similarly bettered?'

FUCK, NO.



Getting back to the subject of Freedom of Speech; as others have stated, there are limitations to the same, and the BIGGEST judge that any speech should go through first is the SPEAKER themselves. People should sit and think about the consequences of what they say BEFORE it leaves their lips. And for the consideration of civility, even, many 'self-judges' should (and probably DO) slap down 'gag orders' so that they will not offend.

Being free to express a dissenting opinion free of persecution (be it governmental, or merely from one's peers) is an admirable goal, but that doesn't overlap into taking a discussion about something ILLEGAL (abuse and assault of children) where the discussants are UNANIMOUS in their disapproval of speech that incites same behaviour, and then deciding to express an OBVIOUSLY opposing opinion on the subject of the ILLEGAL ACTIVITY itself.

Methinks your 'self-judge' needs a board of enquiry into its decisions, mate.

This board just continues and continues to disappoint me at every turn.

[TorachiKatashi]

This board just continues and continues to disappoint me at every turn.

Why, you support the abuse of children for not being the same as the majority?

[Nevrmore]

Yes. That's it, you hit the nail square on the head, Torachi. I fucking love child abuse. It's the greatest thing since...Well I guess child abuse has been around longer than sliced bread. But man, isn't it so fucking great?